Conférence Internationale | En anglais

On 5 September 2013, during the Flemish Theatre Festival 2013, VTi - in collaboration with Het Theaterfestival, Kaaitheater and SPACE - will be organising a conference on the (performing) arts in the public space. What is the role of art in the public space ? What motivates an artist working in the public space ? What effect does this have on the spectators and passers-by ? Artists, organisers and theorists will approach the topic from different perspectives in order to shed light on the meaning public space has for art and society.

In recent decades, artists and mediators have increasingly experimented intensively with (performing) arts in public spaces. Motivations can differ greatly : some are exploring the possibilities and effects of artistic expressions outside the black box or white cube ; some are looking for new ways to dialogue with spectators ; others want to use the democratic potential of art as a platform for reflection in the public sphere, or see art as a driving force for urban development ; and still others use performative strategies to realise a political agenda.

The aim of the conference is to stimulate an exchange of insights between artists and institutions that represent different positions and strategies, and an audience of (performing) arts professionals, from Flanders and from our partner organisations abroad – more specifically from the SPACE network. The participants of the Cifas Summer University will also take part in the conference.

The day will be organised as follows : the morning is reserved for keynote lectures by artist/activist John Jordan and artists Willi Dorner and Claudia Bosse, followed by a plenary debate led by Chris Keulemans. Then parallel workshops will approach the (performing) arts in the public space from different perspectives.